Freedom Twp. A woman has pleaded guilty to causing a fatal crash that killed a Lakota freshman

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — An 18-year-old Liberty Twp. A woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to four charges, including aggravated vehicular manslaughter, for being behind the wheel in a March crash that killed a 14-year-old Lakota West freshman and injured an SUV full of teenagers in Middletown.

Rebecca Kumar was driving a 2015 Cadillac SUV at a high rate of speed south on North Verity Parkway near Hughes Street around 11:15 p.m. on the night of March 23 when she lost control of the speeding vehicle and it entered a wooded area. There were five passengers in the vehicle, including her brother.

Passenger Laith Masri of Liberty Twp. died on the spot as a result of multi-organ injuries.

“(Kumar) was driving south on Verity near Hughes in Middletown at speeds reaching 103 mph in a 35 mph zone,” Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Katie Pridemore said in court. “The defendant missed a curve in the road and left the roadway, overturning the Cadillac Escalade she was driving and landing the vehicle on a tree line. Laith Masri died on the spot.”

Kumar and two 14-year-old passengers, a 12-year-old passenger and a 15-year-old passenger were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment.

According to prosecutors, three of the injured have permanent physical problems due to their injuries.

Kumar’s testimony before Butler County Superior Court Judge Greg Howard was informative, meaning she pleaded guilty to the crime and skipped a grand jury trial that could have resulted in an indictment.

Specifically, the charges include: aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony, and three counts of vehicular assault, a fourth-degree felony.

Kumar faces a maximum sentence of 90 months in prison. Howard set sentencing for January 15.